IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING APPARATUS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Captain Angus Hamilton, late 24th Regiment,
2nd Warwick Militia, of No. 19, Bedford Place, Russell Square, and
Julius Sax, of No. 108, Great Russell Street, both in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING
APPARATUS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Angus Hamilton and
Julius Sax at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 14th June 1871.
We, Captain ANGUS HAMILTON, late 24th Regiment, 2nd Warwick
Militia, of No. 19, Bedford Place, Russell Square, and JULIUS Sax, of
No. 108, Great Russell Street, both in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING
APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to give a few simple signals to a
person a short distance off by means of an index pointing on a dial.

page_text: The apparatus is suitable to be used in carriages to enable a person
inside to instruct the driver.
The instrument consists of an axis mounted within the carriage (if
the instrument is to be used as a carriage fitting) and provided with a
handle. Around the axis is a dial on which the signs to be given are
engraved, such words for example as "stop," "go on," "right," "left."
To give a signal the handle is turned to the word required, and is there
fixed, a pin on the handle dropping into a hole in the dial. On the axis
is a pulley around which a cord or chain passes, and it is led away over
pulleys to a distance where the index and its dial are fixed, that is to
say, to the outside of the carriage in a position in sight of the driver or
otherwise in sight of the person who is to be instructed by the signals.
This dial is engraved to correspond with the dial around the signalling
handle, and an axis in the centre of the index dial carries the index.
On the same axis there is a pulley, and the cord or chain already
mentioned passes around it, and the end is attached to the pulley. A
spring in connection with the axis of the index holds it when the handle
is free against a stop in such a position that the index points to the
zero of the dial, and by the cord or chain the axis on which the handle
is mounted is brought to a corresponding position against a stop, so that
the handle also stands opposite the zero mark of its dial. By this
connection the positions of the handle and of the index always correspond
and when the handle is set free the spring in connection with the.axis
of the index brings it and the index to the zero marks.
Each time that a signal is given a bell is rung; for this purpose the
cord or chain is fixed to and made to encircle a pulley on which is a
projection, and as the pulley turns the projection comes against the
tail of a hammer and lifts it against the resistance of a spring. As soon
as the projection passes the tail of the hammer the hammer is brought
back by the spring and strikes a bell, thus the bell is sounded each time
the index moves from zero to one of the signal words on the dial. In
returning the bell is not acted on, and the projection on the pulley
passes the tail of the hammer, being jointed to enable it to do so.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Angus Hamilton and Julius Sax in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 14th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Captain
ANGUS HAMILTON, late 24th Regiment, 2nd Warwick Militia, of
No. 19, Bedford Place, Russell Square, and JULIUS SAX, of No. 108.
Great Russell Street, both in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Angus Hamilton and Julius Sax, Her
special license that we, the said Angus Hamilton and Julius Sax, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Angus Hamilton and Julius Sax, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and. Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING APPA-
RATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Angus
Hamilton and Julius Sax, our executors or administrators, by an in-
strument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Angus Hamilton and Julius Sax;
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to give a few simple signals to a person
a short distance off by means of an index pointing on a dial. The
apparatus is suitable to be used in carriages to enable a person inside to
instruct the driver.

page_text: The instrument consists of an axis mounted within the carriage (if the
instrument is to be used as a carriage fitting) and provided with a handle.
Around the axis is a dial on which the signs to be given are engraved,
such words for example as "stop," "go on," "right," "left." To give
a signal the handle is turned to the word required, and is there fixed, a
pin on the handle dropping into a hole in the dial. On the axis is a pulley
around which a cord or chain passes, and it is led away over pulleys to a
distance where the index and its dial are fixed, that is to say, to the
outside of the carriage in a position in sight of the driver or otherwise
in sight of the driver, or otherwise in sight of the person who is to be
instructed by the signals. This dial is engraved to correspond with the
dial around the signalling handle, and an axis in the centre of the index
dial carries the index. On the same axis there is a pulley, and the cord
or chain already mentioned passes around it, and the end is attached to
the pulley. A spring in connection with the axis of the index holds it
when the handle is free against a stop in such a position that the index
points to the zero of the dial, and by the cord or chain the axis on which
the handle is mounted is brought to a corresponding position against a
stop, so that the handle also stands opposite the zero mark of its dial.
By this connection the positions of the handle and of the index always
correspond, and when the handle is set free the spring in connection
with the axis of the index brings it and the index to the zero marks.
Each time that a signal is given a bell is rung; for this purpose the
cord or chain is fixed to and made to encircle a pulley on which is a
projection, and as the pulley turns the projection comes against the tail
of a hammer and lifts it against the resistance of a spring. As soon as
the projection passes the tail of the hammer the hammer is brought
back by the spring and strikes a bell, thus the bell is sounded each time
the index moves from zero to one of the signal words on the dial.
In returning, the bell is not acted on and the projection on the pulley
passes the tail of the hammer, being jointed to enable it to do so.
The apparatus above described may not only be employed for signalling
to the driver of a carriage, but may also be employed for signalling from
one part of a building to another, and for such like similar uses.
In the Drawing hereunto annexed I have shown the apparatus applied
for signalling from the inside of a carriage to the driver.
Figure 1 shews so much of the front portion of a carriage as is
necessary to explain how the apparatus is to be applied to it; Figures 2

page_text: shew various views of that part of the apparatus which is placed within
the carriage, and Figures 3 shew various views of the other part of the
apparatus which is on the outside of the carriage and in a position to
be seen by the driver.
In these Figures a, a, shews the outer casing of the apparatus within
the carriage, and b, b, the outer casing of the apparatus on the outside
of the carriage; c is an axis mounted centrally within the case a; d is
a dial on which are marked the several signs to be given. The axis c
projects through the dial face and has a handle e pin-jointed to it. At
the back of the handle is a pin f by which when the handle has been
turned into any desired position around the dial it can be retained in
that position by inserting the pin finto one or other of the small
holes which are formed around the circumference of the case a, as
shewn. The axis c has fixed to it a chain which is wound up on to
the axis whenever the axis is turned by its handle. When the handle is
set free the axis is turned back again by the chain until the arm k on
the axis comes against the stop 7. The handle of the axis is then in
a vertical position or at zero. The chain is led over guide pulleys
and at its end is attached to a chain which is wound around a barrel m
contained within the case b. Within the barrel is a spiral spring fixed
at its outer end to the interior of the barrel and at its inner end to a
pin which is fixed centrally within the case. The axis of the barrel
projects through the centre of the dial p and carries an index or pointer q.
The axis c where the chain passes around .it and the barrel m are of
the same diameter, so that when the axis c is turned by its handle the
barrel m is correspondingly revolved, so that the positions of the pointer q
and handle e always correspond. When the barrel m is turned by the
chain being unwound from it the spring within it is wound up. When
the handle on the axis c is released the spiral spring turns back the
barrel m and consequently the axis until the arm k upon it comes
against the stop 1, both the handle and pointer are then at zero. r is a
bell carried by a central pin from the back of the case b; s¹ is a hammer
at the end of the lever s. This lever turns on a pin at t; the shorter
arm of this lever has a spring bearing against it to bring the hammer
against the inner circumference of the bell. On the face of the barrel m
is a catch which when the barrel is turned by the chain being unwound
from it catches against the shorter arm of the hammer lever and draws
back the hammer away from the circumference of the bell. When the

page_text: catch has been carried round with the barrel far enough to free it from
the hammer lever the hammer is swung back by the spring and is
caused to strike against the bell. When the barrel is turned back by the
coiled spring within it the catch when it comes against the hammer
lever turns on the pin by which it is secured to the face of the barrel,
and so passes the end of the hammer lever. A spring w brings the
catch back to its normal position so soon as it is free from the hammer
lever.
When the person inside the carriage wishes to give a signal to the
driver he turns round the handle e until he brings it opposite to that
part of the dial upon which the signal he desires to give is marked, and
fixes the handle in that position by inserting the pin at the back of
the handle into the hole which is opposite to such signal mark. The
index or pointer will thus be moved round and retained pointing to the
signal to be given, and at the same time the bell will be sounded to
give notice to the driver that a signal has been given.
As before stated similar apparatus to that above described may be
employed for signalling from one part of a building to another, or for
such-like similar uses.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner a
of performing the same, we would have it understood that we claim,
the combined arrangement of signalling apparatus substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Angus Hamilton and Julius
Sax, have hereunto set our bands and seals, this Thirteenth day 2
of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand cight
hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
NATHAN CLAYDEN,
37, Conduit Street, W.
ANGUS HAMILTON, Capt". (L.S.)
JULIUS SAX.
(L.S.)