Abstract
THIS new Signal, possessing most remarkable properties, has now been brought before the public. It was first exhibited at the President's meeting of the Royal Society on 22nd April, when it attracted great attention. The peculiarities of the Signal Light are, that it is self-igniting when placed in water or thrown on the sea. Contact with water being the only means of igniting the lamp, it is inextinguishable when once ignited; neither wind nor storm has any effect upon the flame. The light is of intense brilliancy, and of great duration, and can be seen for a great distance in the open-air. Photographs may be taken by the light of this new signal. Experiments were tried on the evening of 25th April, at ten o'clock, in the presence of some scientific gentlemen, to determine its brilliancy as a signal. A lamp was placed in a bucket of water on the top of Primrose Hill, and the light was so intense that after the signal had been burning for twenty minutes small newspaper-print could be distinctly read at a distance of seventy feet, notwithstanding that the night was thick and foggy. This new signal light will burn for oyer forty minutes. In construction the lamp is exceedingly simple, and so contrived that when once burnt the whole may be thrown away. The chemical preparation contained in the lamp is a solid, hard substance, free from danger; not affected by heat, and so non-explosive; and the signal is comparatively inexpensive. Its applications for marine signals are numerous. In case of shipwreck a few lamps thrown on the sea would illuminate the entire scene, and enable assistance to be promptly and efficiently rendered. For rocket-line apparatus it is equally valuable, as, bursting into a flame on falling into the sea, it would indicate the position of the rocket-line. In connection with life buoys it would be a mark to the drowning sailor. In life-boat services it would be a signal to the vessel in distress, and the brilliant light would greatly assist in the rescue. In cases of salvage, ships' signals, tide and harbour warnings, the duration of the light renders this new invention of great value. As a railway signal, to be used by the guards and station porters in cases of accident, it is equally available, and will be of great utility. The difficulties of preparing the chemical compound have been entirely overcome by Messrs. Albright and Wilson, of Oldbury, the contractors for the manufacture of the lamp for Mr, Nathaniel Holmes the patentee.
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A New Inextinguishable Storm and Danger Signal Light . Nature 4, 49 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004049a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/004049a0