US833935A - Danger-signal. - Google Patents

Description

N0. 833,935. PATENTED OCT. 23, 1906.

.B. S. MILLER. L

I DANGER SIGNAL. v

APPLIOTION FILED MAY 21. 1906.

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10.833,935.' Y PATENTBD 06123, 1906;

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DANGER SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED HAY.2I.190B.

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UNITED srxrns PATENT OFFICE; y

' 4BURNS sMiLLER, or EvERErr, WASHINGTON.

DANGER-SIGNAL.

Speciiication of Letters Patent.

Appiieation filed May 21, 1906.y serial ria-318,000.

T0 all zlzh'cTn/-it may concern:

Be. it knownA that I, BURNS S. MILLER, a citizen/of the United States, residing at No. 2819 Chestnut street, Everett, in the'county of Snohomish and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Danger-Signal, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionv relates -to signal apparatus; and its obj ect is to provide apparatus of this character adapted to automatically indicate.

the presence yof a land or snow Aslide upon a railway-track, -and thereby prevent disastrous wrecks, suchas often occur from obstructions of this nature..

Another object is to provide means whereby. .the"engineer ofi a ytrain approaching the slide from yeither direction will be warned of the danger, as will also the station agent nearest theslide. n V Withthe above yand other objects in view the invention consists of aguard-fence adapte'dto lbe .placed at a point where a snow or landslide is likely to occur, and at-a consider'- able distance vfrom leach end of this fence is located a signal apparatus which is so connectedto thefence thatshould all ora portion yof said fence be thrown over by a slide a semaphore and'lamp will be actuated to Aindicate to the engineerfof an approaching train that danger is ahead.`- Means are also employed *for causing the yactuationof lthe signals at both sides ofthe slide, whether or not all 'of the guard-fence is thrown down.

Theinvention'also consists of certain other novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more y fully described, and kpointed out fin the claims.

anyd'esired proportions and is adapted to beerected at one'sideof the track at a point ywhere a land or snow slide is liable :to 'occur'. Two cables 2 and 3extend along the face'f lthe fence adjoining the track and are mov-- 5 5 f ably connected to the fence by large staples :4 or vin anyfother desired Imannerfsaid staples permitting longitudinal movement of fthe cables. Poles are arrangedbeside the track..

land beyond :the ends of the fence 2foranyde- 6o 'sired distance andare preferably provided y. A

with pulleys 6 vin Atheir upper ends, which 'serve ito carry the-cables. At each endof the appa-` `ratus is .provided signalymechanisrn which 'isi adapted to be actuated Iby l'the cables should 65 `the fence fall, so as to indicate the presence of gdanger. The signal Imechanism at lthe two ends is the same, and for that reason'detailed .description of one will apply to both.

farm 7 extends laterally from the posts sup.- 7c

porting the signal mechanism and is suitably held, as by means of a brace 8. yA `pivot-pin 9 extends from `the 'arm 7, and ful'cr'umed thereon Ais -a `lever .10, `having ya Weight 11 suspended from one `e"I'1d,.w-hile its other `end, is V7-5 provided with a `depending locking-finger '12. An arm 13 extends from the supporting-post 14 `of the mechanism and ,toward the track, and asp'indle 1.5 is rotatably mounted inthe outer end of ,this arm and carries a'd'isk 16'a`t 8o lits upper end, on which is mounted a signalilamp 17, which is adapted, when inits normal position., tojshow a green light, but` which whenfshifted by the mechanism will show 'a red or danger light. A-slot 18 `is formed 85 in the disk 16 and is normally engaged by the finger 12, thereby holding under tension la spring 19., which is connected to the arm 13 and to a pin 20, extending `-downward from 'the disk 16. to 'thespindle 15 and is locked normally, in position (shown in Fig'. 1) by the locking-fingerl2.` A.

A loop 2'2 extends from the .post 14, and

arranged Within it is fa-curved rod 23, which 95 is loosely coiledy about 'a pin 24, extending from lever 10. This rod has a Weight 25 vat its free end which serves to counterbalance the Weight 11, so that under 4ordinary 'conditions the finger 12 is held in position within roo the slot 18. Another post 26 is arranged close to the post 14 and has a pivot+bolt 27 extending therefrom yand 'on whichxa lever 28 is fulcrumed s o as to e swing in a horizontal i ratented'oet. as, 1906. l*

A semaphore-'arm v21l is connected 9o plane. The ends of this lever are connected by short cables 29 and 30 with the coil of the rod 23. The cable 2, hereinbefore referred to, extends through the upper end of post 14 and is secured to lever 10, close to pin 24, whereas the cable 3 extends through the post 14 and is connected to one end of lever 28. Posts 31 are lcated at the other side of the track between the two signal mechanisms and carry a longitudinally-movable cable 32, the ends of which extend loosely through one end of the levers 28 and have weights 33, which serve to hold the cable 32 taut under all conditions.

`As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1, the actuation ofthe signal mechanism may be caused to sound an alarm. In said figure a bell has been indicated at 34, the same being connected bya wire 35 with a battery 36, which in turn is electrically connected by a wire 37 with a switch 38, connected to the lever 10 by means of a rod 39. With this construction the actuation of lever 10'will cause the switch to move against a contact 40, electrically connected to the bell 34 by a wire 41. This bell may be located at the nearest station on the road or can be disposed at any other desired point where it is deemed advisable to inform of the presence of an obstruction upon the track. In the event of the fence 1 being overthrown by a slide at least one of the wires 2 and 3 will be pulled downward by the fence and cause a corresponding longitudinal movement of said cables. This movement of cable 2 will cause the two levers 10 to be simultaneously swung upward, so as .to lift the fingers 12 out of engagement with disks 16. l The springs 19 will therefore immediately contract and partly rotate the disks, so as to bring the red light into position to warn the engineer of an approaching train and also to swing the semaphore-arm toward the track. If only the cable 3 should be actuated by the falling of the fence, the

two levers 28 would be swung upon their pivots 27 so as to cause their cables 30 to pullY the loose coils of the rods 23 off of the pins 24. rlhe weight- 11 is thus relieved of its counterbalance and, assisted by the upward pull of rods 23 through loops 22, will swing the levers 10 upward, so as to unlock the disks. Should only one end of the fence collapse, the cable 3 will cause the actuation of the signal mechanism at one end in the manner described and the swinging of the actuatinglever 28 and will cause the longitudinal movement of cable 32, which will in turn actuate the lever 28 at the other end of the apparatus, so as to cause the withdrawal of the coil from pin 24 and the actuation of' the signal mechanism. The weights 33 at the ends of cable 32 are sufficiently heavy to prevent longitudinal movement of said cable while the lever 28 is being actuated thereby to slide the coil from pin 24.

The preferred form of the invention lias been set-forth in tlie foregoing description, but l do not limit myself thereto, as l am aware that modifications maybe in ade therein without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages thereof, and l. therefore reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is- 1. An automatic signal apparatus comprising a guard-fence, a normally locked springcontrolled signal device, means operated by the collapse of the fence for unlocking the device to cause its actuation, an alarm, and means operated by the actuation of the signal device for causing the sounding of said alarm'.

2. An automatic signal apparatus comprising a weighted lever, a counterbalancc tlicrcfor detacliably connected to the lever, a spring-controlled signal device, carried by 'the lever for locking the signal device, a guard-fence, and means operated'by tlie collapse of the fence for disconnecting the counterbalaiice to cause the actuation of the lever.

' 3. An automatic signal apparatus comprising a weighted lever, a counteibalancc,mov-

`ably connected thereto, a signal device,`

means carried byA the lever for locking said device against movement, an unlocking-lever, the connection between said lever and the counterbalance, a guard-fence, and a Ilexible connection between said fence and the uiilocking-lever adapted, upon the collapse of the fence, to actuate the unlocking-lever and relieve the iirst-mentioned lever of its counterbalance.

4. An automatic signal ap iaiatus comprising a guard-fence, a rotata le signal device at each end of said fence, a weighted lockinglever for each signal device, a counterlmlancc inovably connected to each locking-lever, an unlocking-lever connected to eacli counterbalance, flexible connections between tlie fence and' the locking and unlocking levers, and a flexible connection between tlie unlocking-levers 5. An automatic signal ap )aratus comprising a guard-fence, a movab e signal device, means operated by the collapse of tlie fence for actuating said signal device, a second signal device, and means for actuating said second device from the first-mentioned signal device.

6. An automatic signal apparatus comprising a guard-fence, a movable signal device, means operated by the collapse of the felice for actuating said signal device, a second. similar device, and means for actuating said second device from the first-mentioned signal device.

ICO

v 833,935.- y y i;

. 7 v. Anautomatic signal apparatus'compris- In testimony that I claim the foregoing 'as A, ing ak guard-fence,i1amovable signal device, my own I have hereto ahxed my signature f/ `mea`ns roperatedjby'the collapse of the fence in the presence of two Witnesses. for actnatingfsaidfdevice, `an alarm, vand c y BURNSS. MILLER. I 5` lmeans operated by the actuation of the sig- Witnesses: 'l y nal device forcausingthe operationjof said Jos. COLEMAN, alarm. i J Y1 y T. A. DOHERTY. v

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